White-faced heron

White-faced heron
The white-faced heron in breeding plumage, in a characteristic resting pose.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Egretta
Species:
E. novaehollandiae
Binomial name
Egretta novaehollandiae
(Latham, 1790)
Synonyms

Ardea novaehollandiae
Notophoyx novaehollandiae

The white-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) also known as the white-fronted heron,[2] and incorrectly as the grey heron,[3] or blue crane,[2] is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, and all but the driest areas of Australia.

It is a medium-sized heron, pale, slightly bluish-grey, with yellow legs and white facial markings. It can be found almost anywhere near shallow water, fresh or salt, and although it is prompt to depart the scene on long, slow-beating wings if disturbed, it will boldly raid suburban fish ponds.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Egretta novaehollandiae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22696938A93594542. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22696938A93594542.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Kushlan, James Anthony; Hancock, James; Thelwell, David (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press. p. 170. ISBN 0-19-854981-4.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference pizzey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).